Next Year's Girl
by Starbucksforthewannabes
Summary: An alternate ending to 'This Year's girl' (S4 E15). What if somebody appeared a little early?


Disclaimers: All the usual. I can't seriously think that anyone would believe I have a claim to any of the characters.

Always happy to receive reviews/comments etc. In the unlikely event anyone thinks this is worth reposting on other sites, feel free. 

"Hi Joyce" THWACK "Mind if I come in?"

"Ruby Sunset, Burgundy Skyline...Harlot. Huh. Way to go Joyce."

"Now, normally I wouldn't be going for a colour this dark, but I read in a magazine, eight months in a coma will damage a girls natural skin tone"

"Good thing pale is in this year"

"Or was it last year...? Anyway, for real now. I want to ask you something, you'll be honest and not spare my feelings just because I could kill you. Promise?"

"I promise"

"Ok. How do I look?"

"Psychotic"

"I was shooting for 'sultry', but hey. Bet I know what you're thinking."

"Really"

"You're thinking,'You'll never get away with this'. Warm?"

 **\- Last year's girl.**

 **Next year's Girl.**

"Actually I was thinking..."

"...that you daughter's gonna come home soon and kill me" _I hear my voice rising in anger..._

SLAM!, _a the front door smacks shut and a voice carries up to the bedroom, barely audible_ "Mom?"

 _Show time! Odd. She looks like someone just kicked her in the gut?_

 _Foot steps, running up the stairs..._

 _Ok. Ok. How to play this..._

 _coming towards the bedroom..._

 _back to the door, my dagger ready..._

 _Door opens, footsteps running..._

"Mom?... "

 _That voice?_

"Faith you're ba..."

 _No time to think, spin around and…._

"Dawn! Stop!" _Screams Mrs S_

"Dawn?" _Dawn? Dawn. She has me in a big hug. She's smiling. Glad to see me? Wait. I look down, so does she._

 _The dagger._

 _She looks back up at me, so many emotions in her eyes. Shock, pain, disappointment. I've seen that look before._

 _All I can hear is my breathing._

"Faith?" _I think she says._

 _Blood._

"Dawn? Dawn...I...I..."

 _My mouth is moving, but no sound comes out. Dawn. She drops to her knees, her mom rushes past me to catch her as she falls._

 _She... hugged me. They must never of told her...what I...I did._

"I...I'll call an ambulance" _I say, turning to the phone by the bed. I drop the dagger. Mrs S looks at me like I've gone crazy (HA!), then nods, and turns back to Dawn._

"911, what is your emergency?" _The voice snaps me out of it._

"There's been an accident." _I say, I sound like cardboard, hard to talk when you can't really breathe. "My..friends sister...a knife..I..I didn't mean" I didn't. Not her._

"Where are you calling from Miss?"

 _Think, think, think._ "1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale" _The words come out automatically, I hear myself like I'm listening to the radio._

"What's your name"

"I..my name? F..Faith."

"Ok Faith, tell me what happened"

"I had a knife, she ran at me... I turned..there's blood.." _I look at my hands...there's blood everywhere_

"Ok Faith, an ambulance is on its way. Is there anyone with you?"

"Her mom" _My hands, covered in blood. It's cold here...I didn't know...I didn't know_

"How does the wound look? Is the knife still in?"

"No...I.. there's just. .blood"

"Is the bleeding heavy, fast?"

"I don't..." _I call to Mrs S_ "How bad is it?" _I sound like a whiney dumb ass._

 _She's cradling Dawn, rocking her. There is so much blood._

"There's a...lot of blood" _I reply, my throat tightening_

"Ok. Tell her to get a piece of clothing and push hard on the wound. Is your friend's sister still concious?"

 _I look at Dawn, she's pale, but still awake._

"Yeah, she's awake"

"That's good Faith. The ambulance should be with you shortly. Are you ok?"

 _Am I? I'm shaking._

"Five by five" _I croak out. Sirens in the distance._ "I gotta go.. I think I hear the ambulance" _I hang up, not waiting for a reply._

 _I stand up... barely noticed I'd sat down on the bed. I move towards the two of them, huddled on the floor, Dawn looks so pale, she's breathing fast, in gasps, Mrs S looks at me like I'm, well not the most popular girl at the party._

"I...I..." _Don't have a damn clue what to say_ "I didn't...I...I'm sorry" _I am. What am I doing here? I feel numb as I walk down the stairs to the front door to call in the ambulance guys, directing them to the bedroom._

 _A minute or so later one of them charges past me to get something from the ambulance._

"Is..is everything ok?" _I ask like an idiot. I can tell it's not ok from the look on his face as he rushes back carrying another large bag._

 _This is my fault. Good job Faith, you've screwed everything up again. But I know how to fix it this time, and I don't have any other choice. No where left to run. My body feels like it's made of lead as I move back inside the house, into the lounge and pick up the box on the table._

 _At the top of the stairs I hesitate. Can I really do this? I grit my teeth and move to the bedroom door, I have to._

 _The medics are doing things to Dawn, putting in tubes, there's a defibra-thingy nearby._

"Haven't you done enough!?" _Mrs S more angry than I have ever seen her looks at me, more hate than I can describe in her eyes. Understandable._

"I..I'm.." _I start_

"Don't say it!" _she hurls back at me._

"I can make it better" _I say, my voice sounding strangled, my eyes burning._

 _I open the box, put on the device, and move towards Dawn. The medics are exchanging worried glances. It's now or never._

"I'm...I'm so sorry Dawn" _I tell the young girl laying on the floor, both of us barely breathing as I lift her hand up._

 _A brilliant flash of light as we clasp palms...and oh God! The pain...so familiar. I look up at..myself, Dawn, looking at her new hands. Heh, I look hot when I'm confused._

 _Getting fuzzy now, blackness creeping in at the edges of my eyes. Dawn leans in close to my ear.._

"I forgive you". _She says._

 _I manage a weak smile as my vision starts to fail. I can hear my heart beating, so slowly. So much pain, but all the hurt is gone now._


End file.
